The present invention is directed to a steaming device, and more particularly to a cosmetic skin treatment device for applying heat in the form of steam to an area of human skin, as well as vacuuming the same for thereby cleaning it.
The human skin has been known to develop various disorders as a result of chemical imbalances in the body, adverse atmospheric conditions, etc. One of the main skin disorders that most persons suffer from, especially during their teenage years, is "acne". This disorder develops due to endocrine activity of certain glands in the body during the adolescence. Among others, this endocrine gland activity affects the sebaceous glands of the skin. Due to this activity, an oily substance, known as "sebum" tends to collect and clog pores in the skin thereby producing the acne disorder. The acne tends to blemish the skin which, from appearance, as well as the psychological point of view, is undesirable. One way to eliminate or substantially reduce the effects of acne, has been to periodically cleanse the skin by first applying heat to the skin for thereby opening the pores, and then removing the oily substance therefrom.
Various skin treatment devices have been proposed, and a few examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,421,756; 1,930,038; 3,152,240; 3,749,092; 4,292,971; and 4,399,349. The conventional devices, however, suffer from the disadvantage that they produce an intense flow of steam which is continuously directed to a specific portion of the skin. Due to this arrangement, the skin is prone to scalding or scorching. In addition, only a relatively small area of the skin can be subjected to steaming or heating at one time, due to the fact that in conventional systems the user has to manipulate the steam exhaust nozzle in order to heat or steam, for example, another area of the skin. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a steaming device which does not suffer from the disadvantages noted above.